Labor is being accused of putting the interest of big tech companies ahead of Australians in its plans to create a new AI office and national framework.
Anthony Albanese will deliver a speech in Sydney today titled “AI in Australia’s Interests” to outline his plans to establish a new office dedicated to overseeing artificial intelligence inside his own department.
In his speech, the Prime Minister will boast that Australia is the first country to “bring these issues into a single, national framework” — just as previous governments have developed coordinated approaches on technologies such as civil aviation and genetics.
Drawing on support from frontbench colleagues Tim Ayres and Andrew Charlton, the new office will co-ordinate the design of new Australian Standards to “bring together the work Ministers are undertaking across Government”.
It comes as the Albanese government predicts the rapidly advancing technology will soon encroach on every sector of Australia’s economy.
However, Greens Senator David Shoebridge has warned the government against carving up Australia’s data to benefit “a handful of US tech billionaires”.
“This isn’t really a plan for AI in Australia’s interests, it’s Australia being carved up to suit a handful of US tech billionaires,” Senator Shoebridge said on Wednesday, in reaction to the selected and limited excerpts so far released of Mr Albanese’s speech.
“Our land, our data, our defence systems and our creative work all up for grabs.
“Looks like Labor’s whole AI pitch today treats the problem as data centres taking too long to get approved, but that was never what people were worried about.
“People hate having no say at all while big tech gets the green light faster and faces less scrutiny than ever.”
Opposition leader Angus Taylor also hasn’t yet thrown his support behind the Australian government’s AI agenda and accused the PM of seizing control of the area to create new jobs in his own office.
In the speech, which The Nightly has seen excerpts of, the Prime Minister is expected to raise the concerns AI poses to “national security”.
He will insist that “extremists and state actors” were “already” using AI to target young Australians and “spread disinformation that targets democracies”.
“AI touches on the work of every Minister and Department, so it is only natural that, up until now, our response has been issue-by-issue, sector by sector,” he’s expected to say, according to extracts of the speech released by his office.
“Getting this right will enhance our appeal to international investors, by delivering greater clarity and speed for approvals, and a streamlined process for verifying compliance.”
Despite speculation that the speech won’t address copyright concerns of Australian creatives, it’s understood that the Prime Minister will acknowledge those anxieties.
He will also discuss the energy and environmental concerns associated with data centres, and the fracturing social license they have when the massive energy-intensive hubs are built near Australian residential areas.
His speech also comes amid predictions Australia is poised for a $300 billion data centre construction boom to rival the resource super cycles that reshaped the economy, despite mounting community concern over pressure on electricity, water and housing.
Research from Canaccord Genuity estimates the development pipeline already includes about 20 gigawatts of new data centre capacity, requiring massive investment into the digital economy.
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